比歲月靜好更好｜Beyond Tranquil and Blissful

Today's interview is conducted online, and our guest resides in California, USA Hello, Susanna Hello I'm glad we have this opportunity to chat So, let's begin First, let's talk about your upbringing My upbringing Where were you born? Tell us about your early years What kind of environment did you grow up in? I am from Guangdong I am Cantonese I grew up in a rural area How should I put it I would say I was an atheist Because, you know, in the Chinese environment, well, you also know, right? There was no religiosity in that place That includes my father, who was a cultured person He knew some astronomy and geography Since we were young, he would tell us some stories about deities But he was also an atheist Haha, it's strange Later, I moved to a town I started doing some small business I did it for ten years How many siblings do you have in your family? How many children? There are four of us I have an older brother, an older sister, and a younger sister So, during your childhood, were you the kind of child who enjoyed playing freely Or were you more inclined towards learning and reading? As a child, I enjoyed singing and dancing But I didn't have the environment for that In the past, when I was young, I saw ballet on television And I would just dance on my own I would even perform for my older sisters They would say, "Wow, you really look like it" Because when I was young, my family was very poor, and there were a lot of household chores So, I had to do a lot of chores from a young age As a result, I didn't have much time to learn those things I simply didn't have the time My father, on the other hand had a preference for boys over girls He didn't prioritize the education of us girls For example, during our childhood my father never cared about our studies Many people 45 00:02:43.833 --> 00:02:46.200 had a happy and relaxed childhood but I didn't Hmm, my childhood was filled with a lot of pressure because I remember when I was in third grade my father fell ill There was one day that left a deep impression on me It was a Wednesday When I was about to go to school I heard my mom crying My mom has always loved us dearly When I heard my mom crying, I felt very sad I didn't go to school Instead, I stayed home listening to my mom cry, wondering what had happened Because we were young, you know, at that time My mom had already realized that my father's illness might be serious The chances of a cure were probably slim At that moment, I could sense that there was a great burden and heaviness in our family It was from that time that I felt like I had begun to mature I had to share all the responsibilities in our family and take on the worries of my parents I was only around 9 or 10 years old at that time I already understood that I had to worry about finances and food for my parents But later, my father came over Because my father himself is a doctor a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner He slowly took care of his own illness through treatment Gradually, he recovered, and eventually became healthy Your father was a cultured person At that time, there weren't many people like that in the countryside So, your family in your village had a high status It was a respected family, right? Yes, that's right Because my father had a kind heart, and whenever someone had a problem they would definitely seek his help In our village, my father was responsible for all the important matters They would ask my father to write a ceremonial text for them My father's calligraphy was excellent When he finished the household chores my father would sit at the doorstep with a chair, enjoying the cool breeze outside Then, our neighbors nearby would often gather in front of our house That's when my father would start telling stories It was like singing He often sang about theories of traditional Chinese medicine He would sing them like songs He would compose poems, engage in poetic exchanges These things were what he always did while I was growing up That was basically how it was I used to dislike it and didn't understand But as I grew up I gained a deeper understanding of these five elements thanks to my father They added another layer to my cultivation It turns out that what my father used to talk about was correct Actually, we rejected it because we didn't understand It's interesting Very interesting Quite interesting I just heard you say that you left home early to do business, right? How old were you back then? What kind of business did you do? Before I started doing business I had already worked as a laborer for several years You started working at a young age Yes, because our family was poor Because when my father offered medical treatment he never charged others much money He accepted whatever people were willing to give When we were young, we used to hear that so-and-so treats people's illnesses how wealthy is their family, how much money do they have, and how much do they earn My father would say "Ah, doctors have a compassionate heart It's enough to cure people " It's almost entirely supported by my mother alone She has been sustaining this family I have four siblings my elder brother, elder sister, and my younger sister, all of whom are studying So I decided to go out and work I worked for a few years, and then my father hoped that we wouldn't have to work as laborers in the future He wanted us to do some business I think his thinking was ahead of its time Yes, he also encouraged us to sell things at gatherings He said it didn't matter if we made a loss He wanted us to learn something, he said It would be best if we had some survival skills in the future This might have been an opportunity for me to develop myself So later on, I started doing some small-scale business by myself At that time, I sold children's clothing Children's clothing wasn't easy to sell either Later on, I started selling cosmetics on my own Men's and women's underwear, socks And gifts The profit margin was quite high Afterward, I did it for ten years Hey, when I came to the United States, it was also through my own means At that time, the money I earned was what I used to invest And that's how I came to the United States I want to ask about what you said earlier You're an atheist, right? You don't believe in God How did that change later? I was working in Huangpu, Guangzhou at that time After work, we would go swimming To go swimming, you need to have a clean bill of health That clean bill of health They said I have hepatitis after the medical test (I personally) didn't feel like anything was wrong with me I didn't feel uncomfortable anywhere But when they said I had hepatitis, I got scared My father said it wasn't a big deal He didn't recommend that I go see a doctor But my brother said "You should still go see other doctors first " I was only 20 years old at that time I don't remember who told me that someone else could quickly treat hepatitis They said it would only take a few prescriptions to fix it So I went to see the doctor and took his medicine But it wasn't just a few prescriptions to fix it He said I had to slowly cleanse the blood and then regenerate blood cells So he had me take his medicine, and I took a lot of it I felt that after taking his medicine, my body gradually became weaker and weaker, losing my strength Wait a moment Put on that vest Because I was ill Being ill was very despairing at that time I couldn't work, suffered from insomnia, headaches, and rheumatism Liver disease, you name it, a whole bunch of them My life, I was still young at that time My life had just begun, so to speak A whole bunch of illnesses, it was really miserable Later, a friend suggested that I practice Falun Gong At first, I didn't believe it Then they told me the most memorable thing was about Guan Guimin They said Guan Guimin had liver cancer After practicing Falun Gong, he improved a lot I've heard of this person His songs are very popular in mainland China, I've heard his songs His story really touched me Because his condition was worse than mine I only had a bit of liver disease, a bit of pain not to the extent of liver cirrhosis I haven't reached that stage It's just that when you work standing for a long time your physical strength declines For me, it was an opportunity If others have recovered, should I give it a try? It doesn't cost anything, it's free, they teach you Why not give it a try? I definitely want to give it a try, right? So when I started practicing I had a particularly deep impression of learning the first set of exercises Because at that time, my complexion wasn't good I rarely sweat I'm someone who needs to cover with a blanket even in summer Then, the first time I learned the first set of exercises I felt a full-body heat, a feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time And then, my face turned red Wow, I saw myself in the mirror I saw that my face looked so beautiful In that instant, I thought, "Wow, this practice is great I want to continue " There was one time, I don't know why, but I felt extremely weak I couldn't even lift a kettle of water Because at that time I had just started practicing Falun Gong, and my understanding of it was not very deep At that time, I felt like I couldn't go on If that's the case, then I won't be able to go to work At that time, I couldn't move at all My whole body felt weak I felt powerless In my mind, I kept reciting, "Falun Dafa is good," "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good " After a while, I got busy I was reciting while being busy That feeling of weakness disappeared in an instant Strength came back all of a sudden I felt light and buoyant Can atheism explain this? If there is no divine, can there be such miracles? Gradually, I changed my atheistic beliefs Now I tell my relatives, like my younger sister My younger sister doesn't believe My brother-in-law says he doesn't believe either Can you just recite these nine words and be fine? Well, you could at that time When you were reciting these nine words at that time You believed Deep inside, you believed! Believe it! So, that means you already believed in a divine being at that time There was no choice back then Because people said, just recite these nine words and it will work It works! So, do you want to give it a try? It's right in front of me Otherwise, you can go home Can't do the job if you have no strength Why don't you give it a try? Hey, it works with just a thought What do you say? So, am I still an atheist? I think I need to change my perspective There really is a divine being in this world During the part where they said I should go practice Falun Gong, in the beginning When they asked me to go practice Falun Gong I just said okay to appease them I said, "Okay, okay, I'll go practice another day " Actually, I was just pacifying them I didn't have the time But after hanging up the phone I thought, "Oh, if I wake up at 6 a m " tomorrow morning, then I'll go I knew I couldn't wake up at 6 a m But the next day when I woke up and opened my eyes the clock showed exactly 6 a m It was strange I opened my eyes And then you went? I didn't go I didn't go the first time Then they saw that I hadn't come out for so long and called me again to go They said, "Oh, you should come out to practice " "Don't give up such a great practice, don't miss out " Oh, they kept saying how great it was Oh, at that time, I was just appeasing them I said I would go, I would go But deep down, I knew I wouldn't go I didn't have the time After hanging up the phone, I thought "Oh well It's not possible anyway, right? If I wake up at 6 a m tomorrow, then I'll go " I said that to myself unintentionally Because I thought I wouldn't wake up at 6 a m But the next morning, I woke up at 6 a m And it happened consecutively for several days So, did you go later? Oh, I didn't go the second time either Then they called again the third time and asked me to go I was just appeasing them After hanging up the phone, I said to myself "Oh, if I wake up at 6 a m tomorrow, then I'll go " In fact, I didn't take those thoughts seriously the first two times I didn't think much about what I had said But the third time when I woke up the next day at 6 a m I suddenly realized that this wasn't a coincidence I thought, if there really are gods and Buddhas in this world then am I deceiving them? If I promise something to someone I should follow through Otherwise, I would feel guilty But, the first two times, um In their eyes, did it seem like you wasn't keeping your word? Yes, at that time, as an ordinary person I was just appeasing them The next day, I actually woke up at 6 a m By the third time, I realized I couldn't just brush it off I opened my eyes, and it was exactly 6 a m That was definite someone was governing this So, the third time, I couldn't avoid it I had to go If I didn't go, I would be deceiving the gods That would be a grave sin That's what I thought I immediately got up and went That day that's when I truly started practicing That's when you truly started believing in gods From that time, well, not many yet At that time, oh, this shell this shell of disbelieving gods, there were too many of them Too heavy, too thick, and it had to be slowly broken So, what was the final event that truly transformed your previous worldview? When I reached the sixth lecture In it, it said, wasn't the original wording, though Some people mentioned that they sat down and suddenly disappeared After a while, they reappeared When I read that sentence I thought, "Isn't this about cultivating immortality?" Because when I was a child, my father told me stories about immortals My father had a lot to say, he read many books Every night, people would come to listen to him I have memories of it from my childhood He would often tell those immortal stories So, at that moment, I was puzzled I said, "Isn't this about cultivating immortality?" "learning Fa" is so important Ah, you're saying "learning Fa" is Is it about studying from books? Is that what it means? Yes, yes, ah, ah In the beginning, for a long time you had some difficulty understanding this book But gradually, gradually you started to understand what it was talking about？ Yes, before, I couldn't understand When I couldn't understand other practitioners would say "You can take a look at Master's other teachings There could be the questions you want to ask So I went to take a look, oh, really Oh, so this question is understood like this Ah, slowly, slowly, I started to understand about some principles that you don't understand? Do you provide each other with help? Ah, yes, for example in "The Transformation of Dharma," it says not to fight back or argue back When encountering problems, we need to look inward I didn't know what it meant to look inward But sometimes when I hear fellow practitioners encountering issues they say, "Let me search within myself Why did I encounter such a situation today? There must be something wrong with me " At the beginning, I couldn't do that I thought I didn't do anything wrong But in the practice, it requires you to look inward for anything that happens There must be something wrong with you So I started thinking, "Hmm, I don't seem to have done anything wrong " My intentions were all correct I can't find any faults in my cultivation There are many exchanges among fellow practitioners From them, I can see that oh, they can actually achieve such a level There is still a significant gap between us They have reached that level while I haven't I can see the gap within myself Do conflicts or contradictions arise among you? How do you deal with these conflicts? Or when others don't understand you? There will definitely be conflicts You mentioned disagreements, and they do happen But after you argue with someone, you will regret it You will feel that you haven't achieved the virtue of "truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance" At the very least, you haven't acted with compassion Because when you speak, and when you argue with someone sometimes your tone is very harsh I speak in a heavy tone; sometimes my manner is harsh That makes the other person feel uncomfortable, which is not compassionate Hurting others is not compassionate And when you get into an argument with someone, you are not forbearing But every time this happens, I feel regretful inside I think, "Oh, all the cultivation I have done today has been in vain, without meeting the requirements " Sometimes, you simply have different opinions from others but that doesn't mean you should not express your own opinions Right, right Afterward, you will see "Oh, I can see my own competitive mentality I'm so stubborn " Especially when I believe I have valid reasons I must clarify where my reasons come from Actually, that's not right, right? It's a competitive mentality I didn't realize it before I thought I was right But I also see many of my own flaws If you don't cultivate, you won't understand This competitive mentality needs to be eliminated I used to think I had very valid reasons, but actually, I was wrong What does cultivation mean? It turns out it means removing one's own negative aspects Being able to let go of oneself, that's the state Later, I understood Cultivation is about getting rid of these negative traits So you're saying that people in the world can live quite comfortably without cultivation There are many people like that They live just fine without cultivation Is it necessary for everyone to cultivate? Well, yes Because when you don't know about something better you will think you are fine as you are You might think, "I have no worries, I have money " Yes, I am better off than so-and-so in life That may be the case, but when you cultivate and when you realize there is something better you will feel that things are not like that you cannot see higher possibilities You don't know about better things In fact, it's the same It's like before, if I hadn't cultivated I would still be better off than many people Honestly, although some things didn't go smoothly for me it doesn't mean that others had it easier, right? Everyone has their own difficulties, don't they? That's what they say, right? But why did I feel so miserable back then? After cultivation, when my perspective on life changed why did I feel so happy? It turns out that letting go of these negative things brings happiness When you do that, you feel a sense of relief in your heart You feel a kind of joy, a lightness If you don't cultivate, you won't experience this beauty It's sometimes hard to put into words Perhaps if one could personally read "Zhuan Falun" they might be able to experience this feeling If I hadn't read "Zhuan Falun" I wouldn't have known that when I read "Zhuan Falun" my heart would become so calm I used to speak in a high-pitched and forceful tone A few words from me would make me burst out What do you mean by "burst out"? For example, when I was in the right I would be particularly assertive and fierce I would display an arrogant and domineering attitude People would feel very uncomfortable, uneasy Your dominance gives others a sense of fear People feel afraid of you because of your dominance They fear you to some extent When I learned "Zhuan Falun" gradually, I became aware that these things were not good I needed to eliminate these things So, you should strive to meet the requirements of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance Thank you for sharing these words Oh, hey, I benefited a lot from your words today Thank you, thank you！ Thank you, Susanna! Thank you for spending so much time talking to me I've gained a lot I'm also very grateful to you Talking about my past honestly, I feel very grateful I'm very grateful for obtaining Dafa To those who haven't read "Zhuan Falun" yet go and take a look It will truly give you a different world These are the heartfelt words from within me Thank you, thank you Thank you, thank you so much